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The catching position on the Yankees roster is becoming a growing concern. This is in large part due to the Yankees getting zero production from their two catchers, Austin Wells and JC Escarra, who are both left-handed hitters.

The Yankees’ primary starting catcher at the moment, Austin Wells, ranks first so far in 2026 in DRS (Defensive Runs Saved) +5, according to TJ Stats and FanGraphs. But Wells has been so atrocious offensively with the bat, posting a .176 batting average with 3 home runs, .566 OPS, and just five RBI’s in 35 games. JC Escarra, the Yankees backup catcher, has appeared in 15 games and is hitting for a .182 batting average with zero home runs, 6 RBI’s, and a .529 OPS.

The Yankees Have No Production Offensively From Their Catchers

The Yankees’ backup catcher has more RBI’s than Austin Wells, which is alarming. The Yankees not only have gotten zero offensive production from their primary catchers, but all of their catching options are left-handed hitters, leaving manager Aaron Boone with little flexibility and roster balance. The Yankees’ emergency third-string catcher is Ben Rice, but they view him more as a first baseman than a catcher long term.

It’s getting to the point where the Yankees badly need a right-handed hitting catcher on this team, someone that can give Aaron Boone some flexibility when writing lineups and factoring in righty vs lefty matchups, and also the possibility for a bit of offense out of the catching position. Offensive production for catchers across baseball has been down this year, but the production coming from the Yankees’ two primary catchers, Wells and Escarra, isn’t even near major league caliber.

Bottom Half Of Yankees Lineup Is Struggling Mightily

It’s making them a simple liability in the Yankees lineup, which is significant with Jose Caballero not in the lineup currently and other guys in the bottom half of the order also struggling, such as Ryan McMahon, Anthony Volpe, Jazz Chisholm Jr., etc. A name that’s been thrown out there a lot to begin this season as a possible trade target for the Yankees is Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers.

While Jeffers isn’t regarded as nearly as good a defender as Wells, he’s a right-handed-hitting catcher with an over .900 OPS this season and strong numbers against left-handed pitching. Having Jeffers platoon with Wells would give the Yankees some much-needed production in the bottom half of their order out of a valuable position, and it allows them to put together even a stronger platoon lineup out there when facing southpaws.

The Yankees’ left-handed catchers have struggled massively on offense, unable to hit lefties or righties. The Yankees do have other glaring concerns on this team, such as the bullpen. Still, as things stand, the catching position is becoming more of a concern due to the offensive output and the Yankees’ avoidance of using Ben Rice in any catching scenario, unless they needed to in an emergency.

JC Escarra Could Get More Playing Time

Whether the Yankees do upgrade at the catcher position come the trade deadline remains to be seen. Still, one thing is for certain: having three left-handed hitting catchers, two of whom can’t hit. The other thing is that they aren’t comfortable enough to use defensively, which doesn’t make a lot of sense, especially given that the Yankees have done this for two straight years.

In the interim, maybe the Yankees may give JC Escarra more playing time, considering he’s done more with the bat, it seems, in his limited opportunities up to this point in the season.